One Breath at a Time
by Gris Granger
Summary: The story of Grissa Skylark, Gris Granger's mother. How she lived, who she loved, and why her life was cut too short.
1. Grissa Skylark, Slytherin

Grissa Skylark ran up to her friend Casey Banes and nearly tackled her.

          "Congratulations!" she shrieked.  It was the end of the first week of term and Casey had just made the Slytherin Quidditch team.  Grissa was already on the team.

          "Thank you.  You'll need a sidekick worthy of your prowess," she grinned.

          "I need a partner who can hit the Bludger instead of their own head," Grissa said as they walked up the hill from the pitch.  Casey laughed.

          The two girls had been friends since the first day at Hogwarts.  Now both fifth years, they had entered what was to be the hardest of their seven years.  Grissa wasn't worried, she rarely did.  She already knew what she wanted to do with her life.

          The Gryffindor team was headed down to the pitch to hold their tryouts.  A leggy black haired boy led the pack.

          "Oh God," Grissa groaned.

          "Walk faster and maybe he won't see us," Casey hissed. Too late.

          "Hullo ladies!" he called.

          "Hi James," they replied.

          "Lovely day for Quidditch, isn't it?" he said.

          "Fantastic," Casey said.  He ruffled his already unkempt hair and smiled.

          "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a Quaffle to catch," he ran off and met up with the rest of the team.

          "Bye James," they said.

          "He thinks he's so damn sexy," Grissa said as they kept walking.

          "He's the only one," Casey said.  "Even the girls in his own house think he's a git."

          "Can you blame them?" Grissa said.  Casey shook her head as they walked back into the castle.  They had a little time to kill before dinner.  The common room was full of students working on homework.  In one of the chairs sat a gangly, hook nosed boy absorbed in a book.  Grissa walked over to him and swatted him in the back of the head.

          "Ow, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot she'd contacted.

          "Why weren't you at tryouts?" she asked.

          "I had work," he said.

          "Well you better show up for practice or Teagues is gonna give you the boot," she said.

          "Fine," he said, irritated she'd interrupted his reading.

          "If you spent less time in those books and more time socializing, you might like it," she said.

          "I doubt that very seriously," he said, not looking up.

          "Obviously," she muttered and went up with Casey to the girls' dorms.

          "I dunno why you bother with him," Casey said.  Grissa sighed.

          "Maybe I feel like he needs a little encouragement," she said.

          "I think he needs a swift kick in his scrawny hindparts," Casey said, stowing her broom under the bed.

          "Perhaps," Grissa smiled.  "Maybe I just like a challenge."

          "I know you do," Casey said.  "In that case you should date James Potter."

          "I said I like a challenge, not masochism," she said.  Casey laughed.

          The weekend passed quietly.  The only real event was the list of Hogsmeade weekends being posted.  Most of it was spent swimming in the copious amounts of homework that had been assigned.

          "This is obscene.  I've never had this much work in my life," Casey said on Sunday afternoon.  She was halfway through her Herbology essay and hadn't even started her star chart for Astronomy.

          "And what the hell is pacalauri?" Grissa asked, flipping through her Potions book.

          "It's pacalaur and they use the fur for sleeping and calming draughts," Nora Deetle, the third member of their trio, said.

          "Thanks," Grissa said, scribbling that onto her parchment.

          "No problem,"

          "I think our idea of becoming professional Quidditch players is looking better by the second," Casey said, closing her Herbology book.

          "No thought involved," Grissa smiled.

          "Don't say that too loud or Teagues will have your head," Daniel Dean, one of the Chasers, said.

          "I know that only too well," she said.  "I give up.  My brain is going to explode.  I'll do it later and pray Professor Werb is feeling senile."  Casey snickered.

          "Keep praying," she said.  Their Potions professor was pretty sharp.

          "Or I could just cheat off Severus," she said.  He didn't move from his Defense Against the Dark Arts work.

          "Oh yeah, great listener," Casey said.

          "Now there's something for the rare beasts collection.  A man who listens," Grissa said.  The girls in the room laughed.

          "Have you two gotten anything done?" Nora asked.

          "Hardly," Casey said.

          "You two aren't going to get any O.W.L.s if you keep it up," she said.

          "Well I figure Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts are in the bag, so that's two.  Transfiguration and Charms will take some work, but we can get at least an 'A', so that's four.  What more do you need?" Casey replied.  Nora rolled her eyes.

          "What about Potions and Ancient Runes?  Astronomy and History of Magic?  Arithmancy?  Don't those count for anything?" she asked.

          "Eh, I suppose," Grissa said.  "My brothers both got seven O.W.L.s each.  I guess I have something to live up to."

          "See?  There's your motivation," Nora smiled.

          "I'm the only child of two Muggle parents.  They don't really know the difference," Casey said.

          "I wouldn't say that too loud or you'll have the supremacists all over you," Grissa cautioned.

          "And what will they do?  Call me the 'm' word?  I'm damn proud of where I came from," she said.

          "I'm just saying," Grissa sighed.  "I think they're retarded too, but we have to live with them."

          "Unfortunately.  Why can't we have a cult to wipe them out?" Casey said.

          "I only wish," Nora agreed.

          "We could wear purple robes and give each other code names," Grissa said.

          "I could be…what could I be?" Casey began.

          "Wolfbane," Nora said.

          "And you could be Beetle!" Grissa said.

          "And Grissa could be Larkey!" Casey added.  The trio burst out laughing.

          "We should start calling each other that," Grissa said, wiping her eyes.

          "Everyone will think we're retarded," Nora said.

          "Let them.  We shall be the Cult of the Anti Purebloods," Casey said.

          "Here, here!" Nora and Grissa agreed.  Severus just looked up from his Dark Arts work and sighed.

          "You wanna be in our cult?" Casey asked.

          "No," he replied.

          "You sure?  We can give you a cool name," she said.

          "No," he repeated.

          "Your loss," she said.

          "How did you get sorted in here?" he asked.

          "The hat," she replied.  "I believe it was the cunning folk clause, but I could be mistaken."

          "Used to be they didn't let your kind into Slytherin," he said, closing his book.

          "Care to elaborate on that statement?" she said, bristling.  Grissa saw where this was going.

          "Cut it out you two.  Severus, shut up.  Casey, calm down.  We don't need you two trying to blow each other up in the middle of the common room," she said.

          "I'm just defending myself," Casey said.

          "I know.  I'm ready to kick his ass into next week as well, but now's a bad time," she said, giving Severus the evil eye.

          "Come on Casey, let's move upstairs," Nora said.

          "Sure," Casey replied.

          "I'll meet you guys in a minute," Grissa said as they left.  She turned to face Severus, who was still sitting in the chair.

          "The next time you pull something like that, don't or I'll let James Potter and Sirius Black eat you for lunch," she said.

          "Dually noted," he said.

          "Better be," she said.  She disappeared up the stairs, leaving him to his book.


	2. Life as we know it

"Guess what we have this morning!" Casey flung open the curtains on Grissa's bed.

          "I don't care," she groaned.

          "Double Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors!  Aren't you excited?" she said dramatically.

          "You have ten seconds to back away before I strangle you," Grissa grunted.

          "Beetle said to get moving or we'll miss breakfast," Casey pulled off Grissa's blanket.

          "Fine, fine.  You're a slave driver," she said, rolling out of bed.

          "Just the enforcer.  Hey, I could do that with my life," she said as Grissa changed.

          "And drive the whole wizarding world nuts instead of just your nearest and dearest," Grissa grinned.

          "I like it," Casey said, tossing her friend her robe as they walked down the stairs.  Nora was waiting at the bottom.

          "Good.  I was beginning to think I needed to send a search party," she said.

          "Whatever," Grissa said through a yawn.  They ambled out to the Great Hall, where they ran into Lily Evans and her friends.  They exchanged no words, just smiles.  Grissa tried to think of a time she actually spoke to the red haired Gryffindor, but none came to mind.

          "Hey, Earth to Larkey," Casey said.

          "Sorry," Grissa said.  "I'm still half dead."

          "Well you look mostly dead," Nora said as they sat down.  "You should get more sleep."

          "Then I'd really never get anything done," she said, pouring some strong coffee.

          "Beverage of the gods," Casey said, taking a drink.

          "Agreed," Nora picked up a piece of toast.

          "Why do we always end up in double classes with the Gryffindors?"  Casey asked, eyeing the table across the room.

          "We're just lucky I guess," Grissa said.  "Maybe they hope we'll actually get along."

          "Fat chance of that.  Slytherins and Gryffindors have never gotten along.  It goes back to the days when the school was founded.  It's tradition," Nora said.

          "Who are we to buck tradition?" Grissa said.  "Even if we aren't your average Slytherins."

          "Eh, who cares?  There are gits in every house, we just get the blame for it," Casey said, finishing her coffee.

          "I suppose," Grissa was perturbed.  All three of the Skylark children had been in Slytherin.  Their mother and father had been in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectively.  During Grissa's sorting the hat had considered Ravenclaw, but never Gryffindor.  Seeing the vast difference between members of that particular house, a la James and Lily, she wondered what actually constituted a Gryffindor.

          "She's gone again," Casey said.  "Drink more coffee."

          "I'm just a bit spacey today," Grissa said, taking a long drink.

          "Well snap out of it because it's time for class," Nora said.  The three picked up their bags and filed out of the Great Hall and up to the third floor.  As Grissa listened to Nora explain the finer points of Patronus casting to Casey, she felt someone bump her shoulder.

          "Sorry," Remus Lupin said.

          "It's fine," she said.  "Are you okay?"  He looked pale and sick as if he'd swallowed a toad.

          "Just a cold," he said.

          "Well I hope you feel better," she said.

          "Thanks, I will," he said.  "Ready for the quiz?"

          "What quiz?"

          "The one on boggarts," he said.

          "Oh damn," Grissa had completely forgotten.  Remus smiled.

          "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," he said.

          "Hey Remus!"  James called.  "Why don't you wait for us?"  Grissa's stomach lurched.

          "I'll see you later," she said and quickly caught up with Casey and Nora.

          "So a Patronus protects you from stuff,"

          "Right,"

          "But you don't use it on boggarts,"

          "You got it," Nora said as Grissa slid in behind them.

          "Get lost?" Casey asked.

          "Yeah," Grissa said, throwing open her book.  Severus sat next to her and quietly read.

          "I'm surprised you're sitting this close to me," she said.

          "I'm brave," he said.

          "I'll bet," she said shortly.  She heard snickering as James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter Pettigrew entered.  She knew what they were laughing at and chose to ignore them.  _Talk about great gits, _she thought.

          "I'd just like to see them try it," Casey said, turning to look at the Marauders.

          "Try what?" asked Nora.

          "Anything," Casey replied. "Just so I could curse the nose right off James Potter's face."

          "Or his eyebrows," Grissa said, not looking up from her book.  Casey cackled.  James and Sirius gave her a look.  She smiled sweetly, gave a little wave, and turned back around.

          "Okay class, I hope you're all ready for your quiz," Professor Astril said.  They groaned as she started passing out papers.

          Grissa was one of the last to finish.  She'd practically written a novel on the free response part.  Sitting next to Severus didn't help.  He finished in less than half an hour.  She glared at him when he turned his paper over.  The bell rang and they got up to leave.  Severus was practically the first out the door.

          "And they say we're evil," Nora said watching the Marauders follow him.

          "Let them have him.  He probably deserves it," Casey said flatly.

          "No one deserves to be humiliated in front of the whole school.  You remember the Quidditch Cup game last year," Grissa said.

          "Just because you have a soft spot for dumb animals doesn't mean I do," she snapped.

          "Case, come on.  So he acted like a dick last night.  So what?  It's history.  Forget about it," Grissa said seriously.  Casey blew a breath out her nose and looked thoroughly unwilling.

          "Fine," she said.

          "Thank you," Grissa said.

          "Hate to break up the party, but we have Transfiguration to make," Nora said.  They turned the corner and walked down to the Transfiguration room where Professor McGonagall, new this year, was waiting.

          The class passed without incident as the students tried to make glasses disappear.  Nora had hers gone by the third try.  Grissa and Casey weren't doing as well.  By the end of class, Grissa had managed to get hers to disappear.  Casey's was somewhere in between.

          "At least it looks cool," Grissa said, poking at the translucent glass.

          "That's about all it is," Casey said.

          "You'll get it.  You just need to practice," Nora encouraged.  Casey heaved a sigh and made it solid again.

          "I just suck," she said.

          "You do not," Grissa said.  "Don't let what Severus said get to you.  No one can be perfect."

          "Transfiguration just isn't your thing.  You're a whiz at Charms," Nora said.

          "Exactly," Grissa agreed.  Casey smiled.

          "Thanks,"

          "I could kill him for the things he said," Nora said, getting up as the bell rang.

          "If you leave him to the mercy of the Gryffindors, that won't be a problem," Grissa said as they walked down to the Great Hall for lunch.

          "They'll gladly do it," Casey said.  They sat at their usual spot and began working on the rest of their Potions work as they ate.

          "Quidditch practice today ladies," Alex Teagues reminded them as he walked by.

          "We know," Casey said, not looking up.

          "I'm reminding Severus in person this time," he said.  Grissa smiled and kept writing.

          The first game of the season wasn't until the week before Halloween but that didn't stop Alex.  Grissa and Casey leaned on each other and yawned as he talked to the other two Chasers.  Grissa's brother David was also on the team as Keeper.

          "Quidditch practice not as exciting as you'd hoped?" he said.

          "Thrill a minute," Casey said.

          "We don't even play in the first game.  It's Hufflepuff and Gryffindor," Grissa said.

          "Exactly," David said.  "He doesn't want Gryffindor to have an edge when we play them before Christmas."

          "He's nuts," Casey said.

          "I never said he wasn't," David grinned.

          "Banes!  Skylark!  Get in the air!"  Alex called.

          "See ya up there," Grissa said.  David laughed as they mounted their brooms and rose to Chaser height.

          "Bludger up!" he called as he let it loose.  Casey took a good swing at it and sent it flying into the side of Severus's head.  He fell off his broom and fell a good twenty feet before hitting the ground.

          "Oops," Casey said.

          "If that was an accident, I'm Marie Bloody Antoinette," Grissa said.  Casey smirked.  Alex glared up at her.

          "That better not happen again!" he yelled.

          "It won't!" she yelled back.  Alex and David helped Severus up and walked him to the hospital wing.

          "You're lucky that can be pawned off as an accident," Grissa said as they landed.

          "Admit it, he's been needing a good ass kicking," Casey said.

          "Yes, he has, but maybe it won't help," she said.  Her friend cocked an eyebrow.

          "I don't follow," she said.

          "The more you're treated a certain way, the more you learn to tolerate it and it has less of an effect.  So instead of whacking him upside the head with a Bludger, maybe you could just ignore him," she said.

          "I'm not being nice to someone who insults me," Casey said.

          "I'm not asking you to.  Just if he picks a fight tell him to bugger off," she said.

          "Okay, if it'll keep you off my back," she said.

          "It will," Grissa smiled.  They walked down to the Slytherin common room.  Word had already spread about Casey's Bludger.

          "It's Wolfbane the mad assassin," Nora said, coming down from the dorms.  Casey took a dramatic bow.

          "Exterminating all those who really piss me off," she said.

          "That's a long list," Grissa said.


End file.
